Rolling mill

ABSTRACT

A rolling mill in which a spacer is permanently incorporated in a roll housing to be used for forming a required space between the top and bottom rolls to provide for a roll-changing operation. The spacer is automatically operated incident to the roll-changing operation, to form the space between the top and bottom rolls.

O Umted States Patent 1 3,638,467 Fujino Feb. 1, 1972 [54] ROLLING MILL [56] References Cited [72] inventor: Nobuhiro Fuiino, Hitachi-shi, Japan UNITED STATES PATENTS [73] Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan 2,037,210 4/1936 Buente ..72/235 3,312,096 4/1967 Stubbs et al.. ..72/238 Filed! 1969 3,475,940 I 1/1969 Petros ..72/239 [2] 1 Appl' 872066 Primary Examiner-Charles W. Lanham Assistant Examiner-B. J. Ollila [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Attorney-Craig, Antonelli and Hill Oct. 30, 1968 Japan ..43/78506 [57] ABSTRACT A rolling mill in which a spacer is permanently incorporated in [52] [1.5. (,I ..72/237, 72/238 a m" housing to be used for forming a required space between I Illl. v the top and bottom alls to provide for a 0"-chaflging pera. SKI Field of Search ..72/237, 238, 239 tion. The spacer is automatically operated incident to the rollchanging operation, to form the space between the top and bottom rolls.

9 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTEBEB 1m I 3.6381467 SHEET} 1 {IF 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS PAIENIUB FEM um sum 2 OF 3 I INVENTOR ATTORNEY) PATENTEDFEB 1 m 33,638,467

sum 3 OF 3 INVENTOR "ATTORNEYS ROLLING MILL The present invention relates to a rolling mill and more particularly relates to a rolling mill which is provided with a novel roll changing mechanism.

In a rolling mill, it frequently becomes necessary to replace the rolls with new ones due to wear and breakage of the rolls. In order to prevent the rolls from being damaged by collision against each other, during the roll-changing operation, it has been customary to interpose a wooden plate or a synthetic resin plate between the upper and lower rolls, or to insert a spacer between the metal chocks. However, since these spacers are needed only at the time of the roll-changing operation and constitute an obstacle during the rolling operation, the insertion and removal of the same have been conducted by manual operation at each time they are used.

This has made impossible the complete automatization of the roll-changing operation, and hence the shortening of the roll-changing time and the improvement of the working efficiency of the rolling mill could not be attained.

In view of the foregoing, the present invention has for its object the provision of a rolling mill which has incorporated therein a spacer which will not interfere with the rolling operation but will automatically form a space between the top and bottom rolls, during the roll-changing operation, to provide for changing of the rolls without causing a damage to them, whereby the roll-changing operation can completely be automatized and the working efficiency of the rolling mill can be enhanced.

Namely, according to one aspect of the present invention a rolling mill comprises a spacer for forming a required space between top and bottom rolls during a roll-changing operation, said spacer being permanently incorporated in a roll housing and operated automatically, incident to the rollchanging operation, to form said space between the top and bottom rolls.

According to another aspect of the present invention a rolling mill comprises roll-changing rails provided within a roll housing, by the ingenious use of which rails a required space is automatically formed between top and bottom rolls to provide for a roll-changing operation.

The present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation, partially broken away, of a fourhigh rolling mill according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the four-high rolling mill shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are detailed views showing the construction and the operation of the principal portion of the four-high rolling mill shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation, partially broken away, of a twohigh rolling mill according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the two-high rolling mill shown in FIG. 5;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are detailed views showing the construction and the operation of the principal portion of the two-high rolling mill shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a front elevation, partially broken away, of a twohigh'rolling mill according to-the invention, the principal portion of which is slightly different from the rolling mill shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary side elevation of the two-high rolling mill shown in FIG. 9; and

FIGS. 11 and 12 are detailed views showing the construction and the operation of the principal portion of the two-high rolling mill shown in FIG. 9.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 4 of the drawings, there is shown a four-high rolling mill according to the present invention. In FIGS. 1 to 4, numeral 1 designates a roll housing and 2 designates a sole plate, which elements are provided on both the driving side and the operating side, one on each side. Numerals 3 and 4 designate upper and lower distance pieces respectively, connecting the opposed roll housings 1 with each other. Numerals 5 and 6 designate metal chocks of a top backup roll 7 and a bottom backup roll-8 respectively, which are mounted as a pair within the window I of the roll housing on each of the driving side and the operating side, and are movable in a vertical direction as well as in the axial direction of said rolls. The top backup roll 7 and the bottom backup roll 8 are rotatably supported by the metal chocks 5 and 6 at the journals thereof, and these rolls and metal chocks (hereinafter referred to as a roll assembly) are moved axially through the window 1' during a roll-changing operation. Numerals 9 and 10 designate metal chocks of a top working roll 11 and a bottom working roll 12, which are received in notches 5 and 6 formed in the metal chocks 5 and 6, and are movable in a vertical direction as well as in the axial direction of said rolls, respectively. These metal chocks 9 and 10 are provided as a pair on each of the driving side and the operating side, similar to the metal chocks 5 and 6. The top working roll 11 and the bottom working roll 12 are rotatably supported by the metal chocks 9 and 10 at the journals thereof respectively, and are moved axially through the window 1, together with the respective metal chocks, during the roll changing operation, as are the aforesaid backup roll assemblies. Numeral 13 designates balance cylinders interposed between the metal chocks 5 and 6 to hydraulically support the-top backup roll assembly. Numeral 14 designates balance cylinders interposed between the metal chocks 9 and 10 to hydraulically support the top working roll assembly. The balance cylinders 14 may be used for the crown control by roll bending.

Numeral 15 designates rails to be used in the working rollchanging operation, which are permanently set within the window l of the roll housing 1 in parallel to the roll axis. These rails 15 are provided between the metal chocks 6 and 10 in opposed relation to each other, and are supported on the metal chock 6 during the rolling operation but will be moved upward by elevating means, not shown, at the time of roll-changing operation. Numeral l6 designates a spacer rod for forming a required space between the top and bottom working rolls at the time of the roll-changing operation, and at least one spacer rod is incorporated on both the right and left sides of the metal chock 10 of the bottom working roll 12. The spacer rod 16 extends vertically through the metal chock 10 and is vertically movably supported by guide bushes l9. Numeral l7 designates a top end portion of the spacer rod 16 to be brought into or out of engagement with the metal chock 9, said top end portion 17 being slightly larger in diameter than the body portion of the spacer rod 16 and serving as a stopper for said spacer rod during the rolling operation. Numeral l8 designates a shoulder formed at the lower end portion 16' of the spacer rod. Numeral 20 designates a wheel rotatably mounted in the lower end portion 16' of the spacer'rod 16 by means of a shaft 21. This wheel 20 rolls on the rail 15. Numeral 22 designates another pair of rails to be used in changing the backup rolls, which extends at the bottom of the window l of the roll housing 1, in parallel relation to the roll axis. Numeral 23 and 24 designate a hydraulic ram and a'hydraulic cylinder respectively by which the metalchock 6 of the bottom backup roll is moved vertically. I

In normal rolling operation, the roll-changing rail 15 is in its lower position as shown in FIG. 4. Namely, the roll-changing rail 15 rests on the metal chock 6 and, therefore, is spaced from the wheel 20. In this condition, the spacer rod 16 is also in its lowered position under its own weight and hence the top end portion 17 is spaced from the metal chock 9.

When the rolls are desired to be changed, the rails 15 are elevated to a predetermined level by elevating means not shown, whereby the wheels 20 engage the respective rails 15, and the metal chock 10 is supported by the shoulder 18 of the spacer rod 16 and the metal chock 9 by the top end portion 17 of said spacer rod as shown in FIG. 3. If, in this case, the positions of the top end portion 17 and the shoulder is are suitably selected relative to the maximum dimension of the working rolls l1 and 12, a desired space 25 will automatically be formed between said top and bottom working rolls by elevating the rails 15 to the predetermined level, and further the distance between the centers of said working rolls can be maintained constant. A space between the bottom backup roll 8 and the bottom working roll 12 can be formed by lowering the hydraulic ram 23, but it may also be formed by slightly moving the metal chock l upward by the shoulder 18 of the spacer rod. Thereafter, the top and the bottom working roll assemblies are withdrawn to the outside of the roll housings l by suitable push-pull means, such as a hydraulic cylinder, not shown, while rolling on the rails 15. The same operation as above described will be performed in a reverse way, for inserting a new top and bottom working rolls into the roll housings 1.

Now, when the backup rolls are desired to be changed, the upper and lower backup roll assemblies are rested on the rails 22, successively to the above-described operation, and then withdrawn to the outside of the roll housings 1 by the suitable push-pull means in a manner similar to that described above.

FIGS. to 8 show a two-high rolling mill embodying the present invention. In this rolling mill, a top roll 31 and a bottom roll 32, and metal chocks 33 and 34 for the respective rolls are mounted within the windows of roll housings 30 in a vertically and axially movable fashion, and the space between the top and bottom rolls is adjusted by hydraulic means consisting of a hydraulic ram 35 and a cylinder 36. Numerals 37 and 38 designate upper and lower distance pieces respectively, connecting the opposed roll housings 30 with each other. Roll-changing rails 39 are fixed in the lower portion of the windows 30' of the roll housings 30, in parallel relation to the roll axis. Spacer rods 40 by which a desired space is formed between the top and bottom rolls for the roll-changing operation, extend vertically through the metal chock 34 and are movable in a vertical direction, being supported by guide bushes 44 respectively, as in the preceding embodiment. Each spacer rod has a wheel mounted in the lower portion 41 thereof by means of a shaft 46.

During the rolling operation, the metal chock 34 is held in its elevated position by the hydraulic ram 35, so that the wheel 45 is spaced from the roll-changing rail 39 and the top end portion 43 of the spacer rod 40 is spaced from the metal chock 33, as shown in FIG. 7.

In the roll-changing operation, the hydraulic ram 35 is lowered and, therefore, the wheel 45 is brought into contact with the roll-changing rail 39. Furthermore, the metal chock 34 is supported by the shoulder 42 and the metal chock 33 is supported by the top end portion 43 of the spacer rod, as shown in FIG. 8. It will, therefore, be seen that if the dimensions of the spacer rod 40 is suitably selected, as in case of the preceding embodiment, a desired space 47 will automatically be formed between the top and bottom rolls and further the distance between the centers of said rolls can be maintained constant.

The two-high rolling mill shown in FIGS. 9 to 12 is essentially the same as that of FIGS, 5 to 8 (same numerals indicating similar parts), but in the former a wheel 51 is separated from a spacer rod and mounted on a roll-changing truck 53 by means of a shaft 52, the other construction and the function thereof being identical with those of the former.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated with reference to various embodiments thereof, it should be understood that many changes and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, without deviating from the object and spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A rolling mill comprising a spacer for forming a required space between a top and bottom roll to provide for a rollchanging operation, said spacer being permanently incorporated in a roll housing and operated automatically incident to the roll-changing operation to form said space, wherein said spacer consists of a spacer rod permanently incorporated in a metal chock, said spacer rod being operatively coupled with a roll-changing rail extending within the roll housing to be oplerated thereby at the time of the roll-changing operation, w ereby the required space is automatically formed between the top and bottom rolls.

2. A rolling mill as defined in claim 1, wherein said spacer rod is provided extending vertically through a metal chock of the lower roll.

3. A rolling mill as defined in claim 1, wherein said spacer rod has the top end portion thereof in opposed relation to the under surface of a metal chock of the top roll and has a wheel at the bottom portion thereof for rolling on the roll-changing rail.

4. A rolling mill as defined in claim 1, wherein said spacer rod has the top end portion thereof in opposed relation to a metal chock of the upper roll and the lower end portion in opposed relation to the upper surface of a roll-changing truck which will roll on the roll-changing rail.

5. in a rolling mill including top and bottom rolls supported at their ends by respective support chocks mounted within openings in opposed roll housings so as to be capable of vertical movement therein, spacer means for automatically forming a predetermined space between said rolls to prevent contact therebetween during a roll-changing operation comprising at least one spacer rod of fixed length slideably extending through each of the support chocks of said bottom roll, a pair of roll-changing rails extending parallel to said rolls within said roll housings and being normally spaced from said chocks, and operating means for effecting support of said chocks of said bottom roll on said roll-changing rails to effect a roll-changing operation, said spacer rods being positioned with respect to said rails so as to be translated into supporting contact with the chocks of said top roll on said rails, thereby separating said rolls by said predetermined space in response to said chocks of said bottom roll contacting said rails.

6. A rolling mill as defined in claim 5 wherein said operating means serves to lower said chocks of said bottom roll into contact with said rails.

7. A rolling mill as defined in claim 5 wherein said operating means serves to raise said rails into contact with said chocks.

8. A rolling mill as defined in claim 5, wherein said spacer rod has the top end portion thereof in opposed relation to the under surface of a metal chock of the top roll and has a wheel at the bottom portion thereof for rolling on the roll-changing rail.

9. A rolling mill as defined in claim 5 wherein the top of each spacer rod is enlarged to prevent it from dropping out of said chocks. 

1. A rolling mill comprising a spacer for forming a required space between a top and bottom roll to provide for a rollchanging operation, said spacer being permanently incorporated in a roll housing and operated automatically incident to the rollchanging operation to form said space, wherein said spacer consists of a spacer rod permanently incorporated in a metal chock, said spacer rod being operatively coupled with a rollchanging rail extending within the roll housing to be operated thereby at the time of the roll-changing operation, whereby the required space is automatically formed between the top and bottom rolls.
 2. A rolling mill as defined in claim 1, wherein said spacer rod is provided extending vertically through a metal chock of the lower roll.
 3. A rolling mill as defined in claim 1, wherein said spacer rod has the top end portion thereof in opposed relation to the under surface of a metal chock of the top roll and has a wheel at the bottom portion thereof for rolling on the roll-changing rail.
 4. A rolling mill as defined in claim 1, wherein said spacer rod has the top end portion thereof in opposed relation to a metal chock of the upper roll and the lower end portion in opposed relation to the upper surface of a roll-changing truck which will roll on the roll-changing rail.
 5. In a rolling mill including top and bottom rolls supported at their ends by respective support chocks mounted within openings in opposed roll housings so as to be capable of vertical movement therein, spacer means for automatically forming a predetermined space between said rolls to prevent contact therebetween during a roll-changing operation comprising at least one spacer rod of fixed length slideably extending through each of the support chocks of said bottom roll, a pair of roll-changing rails extending parallel to said rolls within said roll housings and being normally spaced from said chocks, and operating means for effecting support of said chocks of said bottom roll on said roll-changing rails to effect a roll-changing operation, said spacer rods being positioned with respect to said rails so as to be translated into supporting contact with the chocks of said top roll on said rails, thereby separating said rolls by said predetermined space in response to said chocks of said bottom roll contacting said rails.
 6. A rolling mill as defined in claim 5 wherein said operating means serves to lower said chocks of said bottom roll into contact with said rails.
 7. A rolling mill as defined in claim 5 wherein said operating means serves to raise said rails into contact with said chocks.
 8. A rolling mill as defined in claim 5, wherein said spacer rod has the top end portion thereof in opposed relation to the under surface of a metal chock of the top roll and has a wheel at the bottom portion thereof for rolling on the roll-changing rail.
 9. A rolling mill as defined in claim 5 wherein the top of each spacer rod is enlarged to prevent it from dropping out of said chocks. 